The ATP has released its 2014 ATP World Tour calendar, as approved by the ATP Board of Directors. The 2014 calendar, featuring 61 tournaments in 31 countries across six continents, will incorporate a four-week South American swing in February, highlighted by a new ATP World Tour 500 event in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Brad Drewett, ATP Executive Chairman & President, said: “The four-week South American swing including a new event in Rio de Janeiro is an exciting development for the sport. There are significant opportunities for growth in South America, a region that has become a key focus for us as we look to grow and develop the sport in that territory.”

Elsewhere, the 2014 calendar will reincorporate a week’s break in between the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris and the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals at The O2 in London.

“Following careful consideration and feedback from our tournament and player members, the prevailing consensus for the benefit of our key stakeholders was to reinstate a week’s break in between the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event in Paris and our season-ending event in London,” said Drewett.

Other changes to the calendar include a change of surface for the ATP World Tour 500 event in Acapulco, Mexico, which will move from clay to hard court leading into the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event in Indian Wells, California.

The 2014 overall tournament prize money levels will be determined at ATP Board meetings later this year.

The biggest thing for me is the addition of a week before WTF. Good to see that idiocy corrected!

Thanks Looner for the post. This is great that ATP is not moving the South American Swing from February and and leaving 4 tournaments down under here with an ATP 500 in Rio de Janeiro . I guess I should read that Santiago, Buenos Aires and Bogota will remain on the schedule and that Sao Paulo will disappear.

Finally Acapulco moved to North American swing which seems to be more accurate due to geographical reasons.